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Monday, July 16, 2012

...In Pursuit of the leader

I was very sure that it was Mukul, it was definitely him on the other
side of the road, Even after 8 years, I could tell that from a distance. He still had the same
side parted hair, that unusually long neck and that super brisk walk. I had to
almost run to get past him.

“Hey Mukul”, I
said panting.

“Hi…” He replied with
an impassive face.

“I guess I know you”
He said again. The face was still devoid of any emotions.

“You forgot your
friend. Atul, Tenth “B”, I used to bug everybody with my poems in the assembly”
I was already embarrassed.

“Yeah Yeah I remember
you were the part time spinner in the school team as well” He finally
smiled. And we hugged. We never were best friends. But I was his secret admirer.
He was the best batsman, I had ever seen. His gargantuan sixes and flawless
timing were sheer pleasure to watch. He was the coach's favorite, the sport icon of our school. He would make it big someday, very big, everybody
used to say.

“So, how is your
cricket going on? I heard you were playing Ranji for the state team. Can’t wait
to see you playing for India” I asked excitedly.

“I passed my twelfth
this year and now I am preparing for clerical exams. No cricket left in my life
anymore” He replied and that faint smile disappeared again.

“Why, what happened? And
why have you passed your twelfth this year? It has been 8 years since we passed
Tenth” I fired questions one after another.

“Cricket happened and
cricket did not happen”. He replied. I could see the sadness in his eyes.
And I was taken aback.

In the next half an hour he narrated me the story of our
beloved state where a certain chief minister with a dozen kids overtook the
state cricket board to ensure a smooth cricketing career for one of his kids
who was slightly “interested” in cricket. But his prime focus was looting the
state and creating unparalleled scam records so obviously cricket had to take a
back seat. The condition of cricket in the state ruptured beyond repair and ultimately
BCCI had to de-list the state cricket board from Ranji Trophy. Talented players
like Mukul were surely given chance in other state cricket teams but were not
promoted at the cost of their own players. Of course politics was there too. And
hence those fellows who were supposed to make it big someday were left with a
dark future ahead.

“Why politicians or non
sporting authorities have to head a sports body when they know nothing about it?”
He asked. His frustration was justified.

“Because they are
better than us in decision making, better in administration, better policy
makers. Come on don’t be that cynical” I tried my usual optimistic self.

“And what makes you
think so? You are an Engineer; can you go and lead a team of chefs in a five
star hotel? No. you cannot. Life is a role playing game. Everybody cannot do
everything. We are specialists at something and novices at other things and that’s
justified. But just because someone is backed by a political party and has
oodles of party fund for cushioning, he just cannot head a sports body.” He
wasn’t an introvert like he used to be in school days. Years of aggravation and
disappointments had turned him vitriolic.

“And more recently we
have corporate and cinema guys heading sports clubs and teams. Ha! Sports is a
big joke in India.” He spat venom again.

“Politician is
synonymous to a corrupt and unscrupulous individual in India who has power,
position and money that gives him a license to do all unethical things for his
own gains. But it is not absolutely true. There are good fellows around and I
can name quite a few of them. I guess it’s more about our perceptions, I guess it’s
about the way we look at them.” I tried being logical.

“That’s the difference
between you and me. You guess and I know. I’ll take you leave now. I am getting
late” He hurriedly shook hands and went away. He left me with hundreds of
unanswered questions. Was he right? Were his emotions justified? Or was I being
supremely optimistic by preaching my logics to him? And the debate went on for
quite some time or maybe it’s still on somewhere inside me?

I browsed through profiles of some politicians of India who were
also heading sports bodies and the revelations were shocking. A powerful
politician was heading the most powerful sports body of India and that too when
he was commanding the single most important ministerial berth in the center,
that of Agriculture. The sector that contributes to almost 17% of our GDP and
employs more than 50% of our entire workforce. What would this minister prefer if he has to decide
between Famine and World Cup? Famine any day. So the sports would always be the
bastard child. So why did he have to take such an important position then? Maybe
because it gives you more money, more power and more international exposure. Maybe.
Or, it’s just that narcissistic supply for the rich and powerful to feel good
and to feel important. Whatever, I wasn’t able to justify that politician
heading the sports body.

And then I observed the tenures of these positions and the revelations
were scarily shocking again. One of them was heading a sports association for
over three decades, another one for over two decades and one of them was even
overseeing the association proceedings from behind the Bars. Was India, the
land of thinkers like Chanakya and Vivekanand so bloody deprived of leadership
talent that the same fellows were heading the associations since the beginning
of time? Did these positions come with a life time validity? Shouldn’t sports bodies be headed by sports
persons only? And what are the corporate and the showbiz guys doing in the
equation? Well, they are there because they have money and they are there because
they want money.

Yes, I was the one
who was guessing and my friend was the one who knew. But then it was completely
wrong to say politicians or non sporting individuals shouldn’t be allowed to
lead a sports body. Sports after all is not all about passion and zeal, it’s about
complex decision making as well. It’s about looking at the bigger picture and
that requires a great deal of foresight. Sportsmen can provide the zeal and
enthusiasm but they may not be the best planners out there.

But at the same time the technicalities of a game can be best
understood by a sportsman. If the sportsman has proven leadership skills, a
sound brain with an ability of passing unbiased decisions and taking the team through
bad patches would be the best fit for the berth. Sports would always be his
first love and he could bring his own expertise and experience in the team. A
major plus for any sports team. Or if we have a corporate or a politician who
obviously has got tremendous leadership capabilities and is truly passionate
about sports and doesn’t have to switch his interests over from sports to
something more important, he probably would be the next best fit for the role.

Like all important positions of the country, the head of any
sporting association should also be subjected to a set of qualifications. And
the political prowess or power quotient alone in case of politicians or other
non sporting individuals and likewise sporting prowess and popularity quotient
alone in case of a sportsmen shouldn’t be the deciding factor in their coronation.

Leadership abilities,
decision making skills along with proven personal integrity, dedication for the
sport and reliability should also be considered. Absolute power corrupts and
hence the person should be answerable to the general body to keep a check on
monopoly. Ultimately the situation converges
to the innate nature of human beings. A person of character and morals would always
do good to the society. A society where talent would be given more importance
than caste, creed, color, region and religion and a society where Mukuls wont
be struggling for their bread and butter but padding up to take the world in a
sporting arena. Maybe I am being my usual optimistic self. Maybe.

"This post has been published by me as a part of IBL; the Battle of Blogs, sponsored by WriteupCafe.com. Join us at our official website and facebook page.

Very well-written Atul! The part involving the conversation with a dejected player moved me the most. Really, people who don't understand the game just shouldn't be allowed to decide. And you are right in pointing out that there should be a set of qualifications for the top post.